Eschliman Announces Candidacy for Iowa Senate District 19 in 2026

Long-time Iowa conservative activist Bob Eschliman has announced his candidacy for the Republican Party nomination for Senate District 19 in 2026.

He made the announcement in a post to his personal Facebook page, stating recent events — alluding to the assassination of Charlie Kirk and recent local events — as having motivated him to answer a calling to serve:

“This announcement has sat in a folder for many months, but recent events — beginning with a sermon at church — have convicted me. This isn’t a need for me at all. It’s a requirement. Isaiah 6:8 was calling out to me weeks ago, but after the past three weeks in particular, it has been screaming to me.

“Last month, Iowa Senate Republicans elected a new leader and chose the only Republican who opposed the fetal heartbeat bill. The results of that vote will likely never be made public, but I imagine our current senator in District 19 voted for the new leader, not his opponent.

“Now there is an effort to remove a candidate at convention by the Iowa GOP establishment because she dared to challenge an incumbent. It should also be noted she opposed the use of eminent domain to take away land to be used for “carbon capture” CO2 pipelines.

“This is the same incompetent kind of ‘leadership’ that has failed to address property tax reform, elimination of the income tax, the inclusion of ‘gender identity’ as protected classification in state accommodation laws, and the protection of actual basic human rights — such as life and personal property.”

Eschliman is an Iowa native — born and raised in Boone — and has lived in Senate District 19 for more than a decade. Currently residing in Pella, he is a Navy veteran and had a 22-year journalism career.

He has also unveiled “A Six-Point Plan for District 19 and Iowa” that covers his key legislative goals:

1. Protect Life

I am an absolute abolitionist when it comes to the issue of abortion. If we do not have a right to life, we do not have any rights. You became you at the moment of conception, when male and female reproductive cells merge to form a human zygote genetically distinct from both of your parents. In that moment, a flash of light occurs, called a “zinc spark,” which signals the creation of a new life. That life should be protected, even when it’s financially inconvenient for either or both parents. The stigma and pain of rape is also a difficult issue to tackle, but I believe ending the life of an innocent third party does not provide justice — rather it exacerbates the deep psychological and physical pain inflicted upon the mother. Ultimately, more needs to be done to provide life-affirming care and support for all mothers.

2. Protect Property

What is yours is yours. It does not belong to anyone else — particularly the government. The government shouldn’t be able to take your land and give it to another, nor should it be able to steal your land for the ambiguous purpose of “economic development.” Furthermore, taking your property to fulfill a tax debt is unconscionable — I address that in Point 3. This also applies to my view on forced annexation. Many rural residents choose to live a rural life because of the relative freedom it affords. Forcing them to lose that freedom without any promise of the services that should be commensurate with city living is also theft in my eyes.

3. Rethink Revenue

The first immediate step should be to mirror the federal tax policy — no taxes on tips, overtime, and Social Security — at the state level. But that’s just the first step. We have to eliminate income taxes altogether. There’s no better way to empower the working class than by allowing them to keep as much of their hard-earned money as possible. We can also eliminate property taxes, reduce the sales tax to just 5 percent, and still find a functional state government. We can do this by developing new revenue streams — I address that in Point 4 — and by exhibiting far greater fiscal restraint — I address that in Point 5.

4. The Iowa Fund

A State of Iowa sovereign wealth fund — I call it The Iowa Fund — could be established for less than a penny on the dollar of Iowa GDP. Charging at the time of sale 1¢ per bushel for grain, 10¢ per hundred weight for beef and pork, 1¢ per kilowatt-hour of wind production, 1¢ per gallon of biodiesel and ethanol production, and $1 per $100 of manufacturing production, you could generate $790 million per year for fiduciary investment and direct investment in infrastructure, farm-to-market, land stewardship, and business and workforce development projects. And, beginning in Year 10, you could begin paying $200 rebates to every Iowan with that amount growing annually as the fund grows.

5. Fiscal Fortitude

It’s easy to say, “We’re going to spend less as a state,” but far too many states that didn’t plan ahead before terminating income taxes (we want to eliminate property taxes, too) are now reeling from their mistakes. I know we can do better with a bottom-up approach that emphasizes funding at the level closest to where the service is provided to the citizen. But we also have to be honest about what services are essential. Those that are essential can be strengthened by removing burdensome layers of administrative bureaucracy that do nothing for our citizens.

6. Checks and Balances

The state response to COVID-19 — the real response where churches were closed but strip clubs were deemed “essential” — exposed a flaw in our governance. The Office of Governor has far too much executive power that must be reined in, regardless of the virtue of the office holder who wields it.

“I freely admit I have radical ideas for State government, but I’m wise enough to understand I don’t have all the answers or necessarily the best ideas. When it comes to matters of principle, however, I will be unyielding, Eschliman said. “In a nutshell, I am willing to be wrong while far too many Republicans now serving in the General Assembly are afraid to be wrong. It’s a difference with a very big distinction.”

His campaign is currently collecting signatures from registered voters in Senate District 19. A campaign website is forthcoming. In the meantime, to learn more, visit the Bob Eschliman for Iowa campaign group on Facebook.